Miguel Cabrera

ARTICLES ABOUT MIGUEL CABRERA BY DATE - PAGE 4

Whether Giancarlo Stanton is named to the National League All-Star team remains to be seen, but his storied power will be on display in Kansas City. Wednesday, Stanton confirmed he would participate in the Home Run Derby. The National and American League Derby squads officially have not been announced. Matt Kemp and Robinson Cano are the team captains, respectively, and in charge of recruiting the participants. Marlins third base coach Joe Espada, who regularly throws batting practice to Stanton, likes the slugger's chances.

Nick Castellanos grew up in Davie and was a huge Marlins fan, so the Tiger's top draft pick in 2010 did not mind the bus ride down from Lakeland for Tuesday's game at Roger Dean Stadium. "This is awesome," Castellanos said about being in his first big league training camp and facing the team he grew up cheering for. "It is an eye-opener as to what the level of competition is in the big leagues. " Making it better was that Castellanos, a third baseman, had a lot of friends and family who made the drive up from Davie in the stands.

JUPITER - Nick Castellanos grew up in Davie and was a huge Marlins fan, so the Tiger's top draft pick in 2010 did not mind the bus ride down from Lakeland for Tuesday's game at Roger Dean Stadium. “This is awesome,” Castellanos said about being in his first big league training camp and facing the team he grew up cheering for. “It is an eye-opener as to what the level of competition is in the big leagues.” Making it better was that Castellanos, a third baseman, had a lot of friends and family who made the drive up from Davie in the stands.

Those of you who already have a copy of ESPN the Magazine's NEXT issue, which hits newsstands today, were treated to a mixed bag of Marlins content. The magazine celebrated Mike Stanton among its NEXT athletes, and columnist Chris Jones wrote a piece critical of Marlins ownership . Jones predicted that baseball in South Florida was headed to a similar fate as Montreal as long as Jeffrey Loria was in the mix down here. Jones expected some not so gracious feedback from Marlins fans, but the column brought him negative attention for an altogether different reason.

Three Things to consider on this Marlins Monday: Thing 1: This Jose Reyes contract sure is mind-blowing, isn't it? Credit to Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria for going out and spending big, which is sort of his civic duty after getting a sweetheart stadium deal, but six years and $106 million for an oft-injured leadoff man? That seems a little rich, especially when Mets GM Sandy Alderson told reporters on Sunday night his team never made a concrete offer to the reigning National League batting champion.

April 20, 1993: Benito Santiago hits the first Marlins home run at Sun Life Stadium off the Braves' Greg Maddux. May 31, 1997: Andres Galarraga hits a 529-foot grand slam off Kevin Brown, thought to be longest in stadium history. July 13, 1997: Gary Sheffield's homer off the Phillies' Reggie Harris was the second of the inning. He also hit one during the eight-run fourth off Mark Leiter. It was the 38th time in major league history a player homered twice in an inning.

It was a little over 18 years ago that I gave the Florida Marlins something very precious. I gave them part of my son's heart. As the Marlins were about to begin their first season in 1993, I decided I had to allow my son, who was 1 at the time, to be a Marlins fan. Trust me, it was no small decision. I am a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan. My brother is a Cubs fan. My father made us Cubs fans. His father made him a Cubs fan. There was no choice. Steins are stubborn that way, even if it's not the kind of profound, deep thinking that gets you into MENSA.